Engaging toys for 3 1/2 year old?

[midivydale]

Hi forumites,

Please could I pick your brains re the above? My son will spend some time with his grandmother in the coming weeks and due to her health he will bot be able to go out and about as much as he is used too. I want to help him (and her) by finding toys that he will find fun and stimulating and can find him occupied for some time. We have had a big train phase but think he is getting abit bored of it now. I feel at times that our home looks like the island of sodor...

So somethinh new is in order but not sure what? He loves ninja turtles (urgh) as he has seen older friends play with them but I am keen to hold off the whole super hero thing. Am i being silly doing this? I just think they are really aggressive.

He is not at all into crafts and drawing, despite my neverending attempts. He hates it all. We have had lots of fun with puzzles and some games like memory but he does get bored quickly.

He is into imagenary play alot and likes making up stories with play figures. Any ideas?

[edanna]

What about playmobil? The pirate ship is amazing, once you've spent ages assembling it, but it is expensive.

[yeknomyeknom]

You can buy a bulk load of second hand action figures or cars or whatever on eBay. The volume and variety should lead to hours of imaginary play. Cheap as chips too.

[Loigal]

My friend's child that age is engrossed by playmags magnetic tiles, they look good and I going to put them on my little one's Xmas list. Puzzle and building theme

[Pickle]

Fuzzy felts have been a hit with my 3.5 year old, and play dough is a current favourite.

[minder]

How about a castle/fort with lots of horses and knights? Someone is selling one on here but it might have gone.

I've still got a great one which my son played with for ages and I get it out for the children I look after when they get to a certain age.

If your son enjoys Thomas maybe buy a couple of Thomas magazines with the activities to try and there's always a freebie on the front which keeps them occupied for a while. If not try another magazine which his grandmother could look at with him. There's always stickers and free crayons on the magazines which encourage mark making/colouring in. You'll be surprised at what children enjoy with different people.

If he likes Ninja turtles, I wouldn't worry too much.

My son loved them too and Power Rangers and Action Man (still have the Action Man advert song in my mind) "Action Man the greatest hero of them all". He was a little bit older than your son if I remember but he's 22 now and doesn't remember much of it.

Playing with water is always a hit, even if it's a bowl in the kitchen sink and washing up.

Stickle bricks and lego are good too.

[midivydale]

All great ideas! Thank you so much!

[snowboarder]

I think the imaginex range is a bit better for younger ones than playmobil - it's less intricate and a sturdier. All our playmobil stuff has been scattered and lost ;boys 4 and 6) but the imaginex sets are mostly still complete! I know you said no superheroes but my two like the batman sets and they are quite fun. You can build on them and add more so it's quite easy to start with basics and see if he likes them. We also have forts/castles/pirate ships/endless Lego....

[BeadyBoo]

What about books, my 3 year old would listen to stories for hours, especially Thomas ones. Or sticker activity books, play dough or simple baking.

[BKD]

Hello

We make creative baking kits for kids, perfect for this age range and upwards. My little boy loves to bake and great to do as a family.

You can find out more on our website and purchase online www.bkd-london.com/shop

Sticker activity books go down well here too! :)

Ax